Uber offers to move Asia-Pacific headquarters to Hong Kong if city legalises service

Ride-hailing firm says the city’s government needs to provide a regulatory framework that will allow the company to make the move possible

Carrying paying passengers without a hire-car permit is not legal in Hong Kong, though the firm has been operating here for six years

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Uber wants to move its Asia-Pacific headquarters from Singapore to Hong Kong. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 9:06pm, 26 May 2020Updated: 10:54pm, 26 May 2020

Uber has put an offer on the table for the Hong Kong government amid investor fears over Beijing’s proposed national security law – it will move its regional headquarters to the city if the ride-hailing firm is allowed to operate here legally.

Revealing the deal on Tuesday, Uber Hong Kong general manager Estyn Chung promised the move would create jobs, bring top-class talent and help create an innovation and engineering hub in the city, which has been ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the amount of investment and the number of jobs created would depend on the outcome of a discussion with the government.

“Uber is ready to move its regional headquarters to Hong Kong … but regulatory certainty is key. It’s time for the government to regulate ride-sharing so we can bring jobs and investment to Hong Kong,” he said.

Estyn Chung, general manager of Uber Hong Kong, says the move will create jobs, bring top-class talent and help create an innovation and engineering hub in the city. Photo: Dickson Lee

However, Chung said the government needed to provide a regulatory framework that would allow the company to make the move possible.

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